Jessica Alba’s Guide to the Best Sunday in L.A.

When Jessica Alba reminisces about her Sundays as a child, the first things that come to mind are sleeping in and having Sunday dinner with her tight-knit family.

“We would do enchiladas, al pastor or a more elaborate dinner that took more time,” says the Pomona-born actress, adding that one of her fondest memories is making homemade tortillas in the kitchen with her grandmother.

Over the past two decades, Alba has starred in numerous projects, including the films “Fantastic Four” and the Y2K classic “Honey,” as well as the TV series “Dark Angel.” Her latest is Netflix’s “Trigger Warning,” which was released this summer. The second season of “Honest Renovations,” her Roku Original home improvement series, drops on Friday.

A mother to three kids who range from 6 to 16, Alba continues to make family the focus of her Sundays. “We do believe in lazy Sundays,” she says. “I used to be really intense like ‘We have to be out of the house doing stuff,’ but my kids and my husband have all agreed that it’s nice sometimes just to be in pajamas all day. So I’m like ‘OK, let’s embrace this.'”

We caught up with Alba to discuss how she’d spend her ideal Sunday in Los Angeles with her husband, Cash, and children, Honor, Haven, and Hayes. This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.

On my perfect Sunday, I wake up at 9 a.m., and my husband makes me an almond milk latte, which my son gives to me with a kiss. I do a meditation in bed, drink my coffee, and enjoy my New York Times crossword puzzle, Wordle, Connections, and all the things.

Then I’ll do some kind of outdoor activity. I’ll either get on my spin bike or take a walk or a hike. I like Franklin Canyon because it’s chill and has a bathroom. Then we order acai bowls for lunch. Sometimes we’ll make our own smoothie bowls, chopping up all the fruit and making the bowls really pretty. When we order, we like Ubatuba Açaí or Açaí, Por Favor. I always like to have almond butter in mine. My kids prefer Nutella, but I always tell them to have some kind of nut butter instead.

By 1 p.m., my son has usually been up doing a lot, so I can convince him to come into this little space in my closet where we can paint together. We’ll watercolor while listening to calm music and just chat. After that, we’ll go around the yard taking pictures of plants or bugs. I have insect and plant identifiers, so we look up and learn about them.

Then I would want to meditate, journal, and find some stillness. I would use my sound bowls, and my son might join in for a while, playing the chimes or the drum. He’ll get bored eventually and leave, so I’ll continue for about 45 minutes.

By 3:30 p.m., I start prepping Sunday dinner. I check what we have in the fridge and usually end up roasting veggies as we always have some on hand. I’ll chop up root vegetables, broccoli, or cauliflower, add olive oil and seasoned salt. For the main dish, it’s usually pasta, rice, or potatoes with roasted chicken. I spatchcock the chicken, making one spicy and one mild like lemon pepper. It takes about two hours. The girls set the table, and my son Hayes usually handles the napkins and drinks. Then we sit down for dinner and do “rose and thorn” for our weekend.

At around 7:45 p.m., one of us puts Hayes to bed. We sometimes rock, paper, scissors to decide who. Depending on how we feel, one will bathe him and read three stories. He always tries to keep me longer, telling extra stories, but I eventually urge him to sleep, noting how quickly his dad gets him to bed.

By 8:30 p.m., I go downstairs, and usually Cash, Honor, Haven, and I will watch a show or a movie together. I really like “Bridgerton” and “Dark Matter.” I have chamomile lavender tea, and they usually have their dessert from the freezer. Sometimes I do my skincare routine before going downstairs so I can just roll into bed afterward.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Source: Los Angeles Times